Eastern University Athletics has two teams competing for MAC Freedom Championships on Saturday. Eastern Men's Soccer will host King's College on Saturday at 2:00 pm and Eastern Women's Volleyball will seek an 11th consecutive MAC Freedom Championship at DeSales. That match will also start at 2:00 pm.

Men's Soccer:
The History:
Eastern is playing ina  fifth consecutive MAC Freedom Championship Match. The Eagles won at King's in 2015 and earned the MAC Freedom title in penalty kicks at Misericordia in 2016. Eastern fell in penalties to DeSales in 2017. King's won in overtime at Eastern in 2014.

Eastern and King's have a lengthy history of close matches. Eleven of the 14 matches between the two schools since 2008 have been one goal-matches. The teams are 1-1-1 in three post-season matches. Eastern advanced to the MAC Freedom title match on penalties in 2016.

This Year:
The Eagles ran the table with seven wins in the MAC Freedom Regular season. They are the first squad to do that since Drew won in 2002. The Eagles had three 1-0 matches in the run. Cade Harmon's first-half tally was the only marker in last Saturday's regular-season finale between the two sides. Eastern (16-2-1) outscored league opponents 20-2 heading into the MAC Freedom Tournament. Six different Eastern players scored game-winners in league play.

King's (11-5-2) won five league games this fall. They outscored their opponents 19-2 in the wins.

The Path:
Eastern went out of character for a 5-2 win over Misericordia in the semifinals. The Eagles fell behind by a goal before Cade Harmon tied the match late in the first half. Billy Walenda, Julio Ardon, Jake Sankey, and Liam Harmon scored in the second half to help the Eagles to pull away to a 5-2 win. It was the first time the Eagles  ahd allowed two goals in a match since September.

The Monarchs controlled their match against Manhattanville but needed an overtime game-winner from Aiden DiCamillo to advance with a 1-0 win. DeCamillo has six goals and two assists this fall.

The Players:
Eastern put seven players on the All-MAC Freedom lists. The Monarchs put only senior goalkeeper Owen Geedy and junior center back August Axtman on the list. Axtman has seven goals to lead the Monarchs this fall.

What's at Stake:
The winner of the MAC Freedom Tournament will claim the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Men's Soccer National Tournament.

To Follow:
Admission will be charged for the Championship, it is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors and $2 for students. Eastern Student Development is again covering the cost for current Eastern students with a valid E-Card.

The game will be streamed live. Follow the live stream by clicking here.

Volleyball:
The History:
Eastern and DeSales have met in the MAC Freedom Tournament in each of the last ten seasons. In the last seven seasons and nine of ten, that match has come in the Championship Match. Eastern has won all ten MAC Freedom Titles since joining the league. This is the second time the Championship has been at DeSales. Eastern won in four-sets in Center Valley last fall.

This Year:
The Eagles (24-6) dropped a four-set match at DeSales in early September to fall out of the top spot in the MAC Freedom. The Bulldogs (23-8) held the lead the rest of the way with an unblemished 7-0 mark in the league. DeSales is 10-1 at home this fall. 

The Path:
Neither team looked sideways through three-set wins in the Semifinals. The Bulldogs beat fourth-seeded FDU-Florham behind 14 kills and 27 digs from Gabby Savité. Eastern topped Misericordia in three sets behind a balanced attack led by Caroline Shelby with 11 kills and Sammy Rogers with ten.

The Players:
Both teams were well-represented on the All-MAC Freedom teams. Savité and libero Natalie Gray earned spots on the First team for DeSales. Shelby, setter Morgan Kline, and middle hitter Michelle Paulsen were first-team honorees for Eastern. Paulsen, who is sixth nationally in hitting percentage and the active career-leader in blocks was named 2018 MAC Freedom Player of the Year. Sarah Roberts was on the Second Team for Eastern. Morghan Shoemaker and Audrey Wolfe were named to the second team for DeSales.

What's at Stake:
The winner of the MAC Freedom Tournament will claim the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball National Tournament.

To Follow:
Admission will be charged for the Championship, it is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors and $2 for students.

The game will be streamed live. Follow the live stream by clicking here.